Pasadena Company Invents Solar Panel Modifications Which Boost Energy Production

By RON ROKHY

Published : Friday, September 9, 2016 | 5:16 AM

From PV Booster Website

A Pasadena-based startup company has modified solar panels in a way that amplifies how much energy they can generate and, in the process, makes investing in solar significantly more attractive.

On September 7, Edisun Microgrids launched technology which brings “trackers” onto roofs of commercial and industrial buildings. Trackers, which allow solar panels to follow the sun as it moves through the sky, greatly boost how much overall power they collect and are usually found on larger, ground-based panels, according to a statement released to the media by BusinessWire.

However, using trackers on roofs can lead to complications involving strong gusts of wind and difficulty nailing down the solar panels because they are too heavy. To counter this, the company designed a tracking system called PV Booster specifically designed to be placed on large roofs. According to the press release, Edisun’s technology will boost energy yields from solar panels by 20-30 percent.

“Although solar costs have dropped dramatically in recent years, rooftop tracking installations have remained both logistically and economically unrealistic for commercial facilities – until now,” said Bill Gross, CEO of Edisun Microgrids in the media statement.. “PV Booster is the first technology to bring the proven economic benefits of solar trackers from the ground to the rooftop, enhancing returns as well as opening the market to a large and underserved customer base.”

PV Booster’s design works on roofs because it is lightweight, gearless and has technology that retracts modules at night and during periods of high wind, according to the press release. The trackers themselves are powered in a way that only uses 0.01 percent of the total energy generated by them.

“We have been able to use PV Booster to open up new markets and push marginal projects over the line to make the numbers work,” said Stephen Gates, founder of president of the Neighborhood Power Corporation in the media statement.